Freitas-Fields’ Four-Hit Shutout Moves Waiakea to Championship Night

Waiakea High School freshman Caleb Freitas-Fields has pitched well beyond his years throughout this season, but on Friday night, he delivered his best performance to advance the Warriors to the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I Tournament championship game.

Freitas-Fields gave up four hits and hit two batters in a complete game, 66 pitch shutout in Waiakea’s 3-0 win over Kea`au at Wong Stadium, improving to 3-0 on the season and bettering his already low 0.49 earned run average.

The youngster twice bailed out his team on errors early in the game. In the first, Maleko Remlinger reached on an error by Waiakea shortstop Alika Guillermo, but was stranded at second base after an infield pop-up and and ground ball out to third base.

In the third inning, Remlinger reached base again on another Guillermo error and stole second and third base off. Once again, he was stranded on base when Freitas-Fields struck out Cody Silva.

Waiakea (13-6 overall, 11-3 BIIF overall, 8-2 BIIF seeding) put pressure on Kea`au starter Keian Kanetani in the opening innings. Guillermo reached on a one-out single and scored two batters later when Kodi Medeiros lined a single to left field. Andrew Filoteo Jr. followed with a sharply hit double down the right field line to chase Medeiros home, giving Waiakea a 2-0 lead after the opening inning.

Kanetani, also a freshman, then settled into his own rhythm. He retired nine straight batters after Filoteo’s double before allowing a pair of hits to Freitas-Fields and Aaron Nishiura. Kanetani got out of the inning easily by forcing Bryce Felipe to fly out to center field, stranding both runners on base.

Kea`au (5-14 overall, 5-9 BIIF overall, 3-7 BIIF seeding) had an opportunity to cut into Waiakea’s lead in the fifth inning with a pair of two-out hits by Jonathan Segovia and Remlinger. On the very next pitch, however, Silva flew out to left field to keep the Cougars scoreless through five innings.

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Waiakea’s Kodi Medeiros extended his team’s lead one more time with an RBI single through the right side of the diamond, scoring Guillermo with two out in the fith inning to give Waiakea a 3-0 lead that would stick through the rest of the hour and twenty-three minute contest.

Medeiros batted 2-for-3 with a run scored, a stolen base, and two runs batted in. Freitas-Fields helped his own cause at the plate with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, including a sixth inning double.

Kanetani took the loss, falling to 3-4 on the season. He allowed three earned runs in six innings with a walk and no strikeouts.

Remlinger, one of seven seniors on the team, batted 1-for-3 while reaching on a pair of errors. Kanetani, Segovia, and Keha Wong each picked up a hit.